Jo Bonnier
"Bonnier" redirects here. For Jo Bonnier's team, see Ecurie Bonnier. |birthplace = Djurgården, Sweden |death date = |placeofdeath = Le Mans, France |nationality = |status = Deceased |firstrace = 1956 Italian Grand Prix |firstwin = 1959 Dutch Grand Prix |lastrace = 1971 United States Grand Prix |lastwin = 1959 Dutch Grand Prix }} Joakim "Jo" Bonnier ( ; born 31 January 1930 in Djurgården, Stockholm, Södermanland and Uppland, Sweden – died 11 June 1972 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France) was a Swedish racing driver who competed in Formula One and sportscars. Making his début at in at the with the team, Bonnier spent most of and driving in privately-entered Maseratis, usually under Scuderia Centro Sud and his own racing team. Moving to at the end of 1958, Bonnier scored his first points at the before taking what turned out to be his only win (from his only pole) at the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix. Bonnier scored three other points finishes before leaving at the end of . Bonnier was part of 's F1 attempt in and , scoring six points over two years (while teammate Dan Gurney scored one win and five podiums), before the manufacturer left the sport. Needing a new team, Bonnier found a drive at the Rob Walker Racing Team, first driving a in , switching to a in and scoring four seventh-place finishes in . Reforming his old team as the "Anglo-Suisse Racing Team" in , Bonnier drove a Cooper T81 without much success for two years before switching to a M5A. At the end of , Bonnier chose to focus more on his sportscar efforts, and made only sporadic entries to F1 races over the next three seasons, making his final start at the final race of , the . A once-24 Hours of Le Mans runner up, Bonnier died at the race's 1972 edition. A horrendous accident with Swiss amateur driver Florian Vetsch saw Bonnier's car fly over the armco barriers and into the trees behind them, killing him instantly. Bonnier was chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association from 1963 to 1971, and was a strong campaigner for safety throughout his career. Formula One Career Formula One Statistical Overview Formula One Record Note: Italics denotes an entrant used only in non-championship races. Career Statistics Race Wins Career Results |0|NC}} ||| || | |0|NC}} | |10th||9th|8th| | | | | |3|20th}} || | | | | |8th||10|8th}} || | | | | || |4|18th}} |11th|7th|7th| | | | |3|15th}} | |10th| |7th| |13th||3|15th}} |11th| | | |7th|8th| | |6|11th}} |9th| || | | |12th| | |3|15th}} |7th| | |7th| |7th|7th|8th| |0|NC}} | | | |7th| | | | |1|17th}} ||| || | Awarded the two points for fifth place instead of the one for sixth as fifth-placed Jackie Oliver was an F2 entry and thus ineligible for points.|8th| | |10th|3|16th}} || | |8th|| | | | | | |3|22nd}} | |||||0|NC}} || ||0|NC}} |||||| | |10th||16th|0|NC}} Notes Category:1930 births Category:1972 deaths Category:Swedish Drivers Category:1956 Début Drivers Category:Maserati Drivers Category:Ecurie Bonnier Drivers Category:BRM Drivers Category:Scuderia Centro Sud Drivers Category:Porsche Drivers Category:Rob Walker Racing Team Drivers Category:Cooper Drivers Category:Brabham Drivers Category:Honda Drivers Category:Team Lotus Drivers Category:McLaren Drivers Category:GPDA Chairmen Category:Team Owners